Our ThinkSmart Retailer of the Year – Blantyre Family Shopper retailer Mo Razzaq – has long been a trailblazer when it comes to passionately embracing technology and innovation in his store to drive footfall, sales and profit.
by Antony Begley
There is absolutely no doubt that technology, data and innovations will transform the local retailing sector in the years to come yet many retailers seem reluctant to embrace the revolution. That’s not an accusation that can be levelled at Blantyre Family Shopper retailer Mo Razzaq. Mo has made it a point of pride to be among the first to both adopt new technologies and innovation in his store and commit the investment of time and money required to ensure that the solutions have the best possible chance of succeeding and delivering new footfall, sales and profits.
Mo was among the first to bring in a Subway, add a Tango Ice Blast machine and create a fully-fledged dessert bar in his store, and the last year or so has seen him continue to push the boundaries with a raft of new ideas and innovations.
He was among the first retailers in Scotland to add a Deposit Return Scheme-compliant reverse vending machine and has been one of the first, if not the first, store to not only implement a home delivery scheme but to give it scale and make it a core part of his offer.
He also operates a highly sophisticated loyalty scheme that enables truly personalised one-to-one communications with his shoppers and has also embraced several unusual in-store merchandising technologies to help drive excitement and theatre, not to mention sales and profits.
His motion-sensitive talking unit which physically thrusts products at shoppers in front of the fixture is a fine example.
It’s the courage to continually trial new solutions and execute them well that really made him stand out to the judges this year, as Steve O’Neill, Marketing Director of category sponsor PayPoint commented: “The world is changing and retailers need to change alongside. Mo has shown himself time and again to be willing to embrace the new world of technology and data to build his relationship with his shoppers and offer them a different kind of experience when they shop with him. It’s that courage and commitment that really stands out and makes him a worthy winner of the ThinkSmart Retailer of the Year category. A true innovator!”
